Abstract
The ESP project aims to investigate urban and rural medieval settlements, their role in exploiting natural resources within complex productive cycles, and the resulting changes to the surrounding landscape. The relationship between settlements and production has been debated by Italian medieval archaeology since the 1980s. However, more recently, the focus has shifted primarily to circulation and storage of artefacts. At the same time, even though more and more methodologies have been used to reconstruct the medieval landscape, our understanding is hampered by neglecting the study of the complex productive cycles. With the ESP project we aim to overcome these limitations and i) define the diachronic evolution of productive medieval landscapes; ii) identify the characteristics of complex productive cycles; iii) valorise the productive landscapes by applying new research and communication practices involving the local communities. To achieve these objectives, we will employ an innovative integrated approach which will include non-destructive archaeological investigations, targeted archaeological excavations, geoarchaeological and paleoenvironmental studies, geochemical and archaeometric analyses of remains related to production cycles. The project will investigate two important medieval archaeological sites and their landscapes: Cervia Vecchia (RA) and Piuro (SO), respectively leading salt and soapstone production centres in the Peninsula. The two sites share a similar history since they tied their fortune to the management of complex productive cycles in the same chronological span, at least until they were both abandoned. They are two case studies of different sizes and characteristics – a city and a village – that will allow us a multiscalar and a comparative approach. The principal methodological innovations in the study of salt and soapstone production and in the analysis of landscape that we aim to achieve will find a place in leading international journals to promote their knowledge and reuse. At the same time, we will amply promote the academic debate, by discussing our novel data on medieval settlements and their role in exploiting surrounding natural resources at national and international venues and by publishing a final monograph. Finally, we aim to constantly involve Cervia and Piuro communities during project planning and archaeological research activities, as well as during dissemination events. This participatory approach will allow us to have more success in impacting the local communities by encouraging a more profound perception of the local landscapes and cultural heritage. In this way, we aim to bring again these areas within social and economic networks, create and strengthen the sense of community, highlight the ecological fragility of both contexts, and raise awareness of the main environmental risks currently threatening them.
Results achieved
● Conducted integrated archaeological, geoarchaeological, geophysical and remote-sensing investigations at Cervia Vecchia, substantially improving the reconstruction of the medieval salt-production landscape. ● Demonstrated that Cervia Vecchia developed within a lagoonal environment, providing new evidence on the relationship between settlement location, environmental dynamics and economic strategies. ● Identified and investigated the archaeological site of Prato della Rosa, likely corresponding to the early medieval settlement of Ficocle, significantly advancing knowledge of the origins of medieval Cervia. ● Reconstructed the spatial organisation and chronological development of the settlement through excavations, geoarchaeological coring, radiocarbon dating and integrated landscape analyses. ● Advanced the understanding of the medieval salt-production cycle, for example through the excavation and analysis of storage facilities, including the urban salt warehouses. ● Produced new geoarchaeological, archaeometric and palaeoenvironmental datasets, providing a robust framework for interpreting settlement evolution, resource exploitation and productive activities. ● Disseminated project results through peer-reviewed publications, conference proceedings and international conferences, including the Open Access edited volume Archeologia a Cervia I. Il progetto e i primi risultati (eds. Andrea Augenti, Mila Bondi and Marco Cavalazzi, 2026). ● Co-organised the final ESP Workshop – Exploring Human–Environment Interaction in the Productive Landscapes of Medieval Italy (Bologna and Cervia, 24–25 September 2025), in collaboration with the University of Verona. The workshop brought together archaeologists, historians, and environmental specialists to discuss medieval productive landscapes, complex production systems, and their long-term environmental impact, fostering interdisciplinary exchange and disseminating the project's main scientific results to both academic audiences and local stakeholders. ● Strengthened public engagement through excavation open days, exhibitions, guided visits and public lectures, enhancing collaboration with local institutions and promoting the archaeological heritage of Cervia.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Andrea Augenti
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Storia Culture Civiltà
Coordinatore:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)
Contributo totale di progetto: Euro (EUR) 212.394,00
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 124.038,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
28/09/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
